Wayne Center for the Arts has been offering culturally stimulating arts
experiences to Wayne County residents for
over 31 years.
The center, formerly known as the Wooster Arts Center, originally resided
on the campus of The College
of Wooster. In 1984, through a gift from the Rubbermaid Foundation and
with the support of the community, the Arts Center was able to move into
the newly renovated Walnut Street School at 237 South Walnut Street,
Wooster. Since its beginning in 1973, the center has continued to grow
offering numerous activities throughout the year including classes,
special events, performances and exhibits. In June of 1999, The Rubbermaid
Foundation donated the Walnut Street building to Wayne Center for the Arts
assuring the community that a cultural arts center would continue to
thrive in the downtown Wooster area.
A vital community resource that provides critically important educational
opportunities is an apt description of the Wayne Center for the
Arts. The Center serves literally thousands
of people, hosting a wealth of special events, along with participatory
and educational classes in the arts for children and adults.
As a non-profit multi-arts center, the organization works closely with the public schools throughout the Tri-County area (Wayne, Holmes, Ashland) to provide an appreciation of the arts through expanded arts education and performing arts opportunities. Each year, the Arts Center presents a schedule of performances and exhibits as well. Taken together, Wayne Center for the Arts offers an amazing array of talent and opportunity for you to experience.
The old Walnut Street Elementary School houses the administrative offices,
as well as twelve classrooms, a 200 - seat auditorium, two galleries, and
a conference room. The Gault Gallery and the Roberta Looney Workshop Gallery
showcase exhibits of work by area, regional and national artists continuously
throughout much of the year.
The Center is proud to be the home of a
pre-professional dance company, The Wayne Center Ballet. The Wayne Center
Ballet, known
for the professional quality of its performances, presents The
Nutcracker
Ballet
on even numbered years and a narrative ballet, such as The
Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, or Hansel and Gretel,
each year in the spring. In addition, the Arts Center’s
ballet program invites many visiting professional teachers and
choreographers to participate in its program. This exposure gives ballet
students an opportunity to experience dance in traditional classical
ballet as well as eclectic and contemporary movement.
Other dance offerings include: modern, tap and jazz.
In 1995, Wayne Center for the Arts and Tri-County Educational Service Center
were selected to participate in the Performing Arts Centers and School
Partners in Education Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing
Arts. Since that time, the
partnership has been providing excellent opportunities for teachers
workshops. The artist teachers
selected by Kennedy Center are among the highest quality artist/teachers
available in the country.
Through a grant from the Ohio Arts Council, the
Art Center’s Outreach program is able to bring a free, fun and
educational programming to area youth in collaboration with our social
service partners-STEPS, the
Salvation Army, and the Community Youth Center (YMCA).
The Outreach program is designed to offer quality arts experiences
to young people at risk of not making a successful transition from
adolescence to young adulthood. One of the things which makes Wooster such a wonderful place to live and raise a family has to be Wayne Center for the Arts with its many educational opportunities for people of all ages.
Wayne Center for the Arts is funded by grants from
the Ohio Arts Council, support from foundations, corporations, and
individuals, class fees, membership fees, and special events.
bill.buckingham@wayneartscenter.org For general information: 330.264. ARTS (2787), E-mail: waynectr@wayneartscenter.org ,FAX: 330. 264. 9314.
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